High court rejects Penn State’s bid to keep trustee records hidden from public, Spotlight PA

TATE COLLEGE — The state’s highest court has denied Penn State’s request to overturn a ruling that will give Spotlight PA and the public access to long-sought trustee documents.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday denied “a petition for allowance of appeal” from Penn State and the state Department of Education. The requests came after a Commonwealth Court ruling in October that sided with Spotlight PA — as well as affirmed a 2023 determination made by the state’s Office of Open Records — and ordered the university to turn over documents related to a private trustees retreat and a nonpublic board committee meeting, which both happened in 2022.

Penn State was also ordered to unredact portions of a 2022 document given to trustees about the university’s “fiscal challenges” and altering the budget to better align with Penn State’s “priorities and values.”